Mid-engine 3rd Gen Firebird

[Daverri]

My first post here after just discovering this forum. I'm a mechanical engineer, retired now, with 47 years at GM's former Electro-Motive Division where I designed railroad locomotives and their sub-systems. But ever since I was a kid, I've been a car guy starting with go-karts, racing dirt track stock cars, and doing engine swaps and mods for myself and friends. 27 years ago in 1992, I started the longest project I've ever done which still occupies me to this day. I call it Daverri.



I started with an 82 Firebird SE I bought for this purpose 3 years earlier, along with a Toronado I bought for the transaxle and a junkyard big block Chevy for mockup. I started by gutting the Firebird, and built a rotisserie around it. I then designed, using a primitive 3D modeling program, a back half frame and suspension and eventually a set of 180 deg headers. About a year in to the process, I found a styling kit resembling a mid-80's Testarossa and since I'm not a body/fender guy decided to incorporate it into the build. In 2004, I finally had the body mounted and the car running and I took it to a Corvette restoration specialist who massaged the body panels and painted it. It took me another year to finish the dash and interior but in 2006 it was on the road. I didn't like the way I had done the rear suspension (I used the Toronado spindles with a fixed tie rod) so in 2008, I tore out the suspension and fabricated a new one with upper and lower unequal length arms incorporating Chevy 4WD 8 lug hub bearing units and Wilwood 6 piston calipers and 14" rotors all around and Z06 replica wheels with 245/40ZR-18 front and 345/30ZR19 rears. The engine is a tall deck big block bored and stroked to 604 cu in. and has port fuel injection with a Holley Dominator ECU, my third ECU since 1996.

I know many won't like the styling kit on it, so flame on. Here's some pictures: